The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar-industry news. Brought to you by Sweet Solar Home and the Experts at SunRun.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
UCSB Research Center Funded with US $19M from Stimulus Act
The UCSB EFRC is one of 16 to be funded by President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Edison Offers Free Solar Workshops
Thinking about reducing your energy costs by tapping into solar power at your home? Southern California Edison says that you can make the task a lot easier and more efficient if you come to them first.
Solar Project is a Go, but Still Has Critics
Despite concerns that the city is getting a raw deal, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a controversial 25-year deal with a private company to build a photovoltaic solar plant on top of a city-owned reservoir.
NATIONAL NEWS
Portland Now a Solar America City, DOE Selects Recipients of Solar America Awards
The City of Portland, Oregon has adopted a new goal of obtaining five megawatts (MW) of city-wide solar by 2012. The city has also been formally recognized as a Solar America City by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Doors Open to Eco-Friendly Homes for Poor
The city of Houston has initiated a program to subsidize solar-powered, hyper-energy-efficient homes for low-income residents, among the first of its kind nationwide.
Naples Will Hear Solar Power Presentation Wednesday
City Council on Wednesday is scheduled to discuss a private-public partnership at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The project includes putting solar power panels near the plant and using the energy to run the plant.
Solar Energy to Brighten St. Clair Job Picture
A solar alternative energy company could begin production this fall in St. Clair if tax incentives are approved by local officials in the coming weeks.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
The Local Feed-in Tariff Solution
Pioneered in the US in the late 1970s and 1980s and then perfected in Europe in the last ten years, FITs have been very effective in bringing large amounts of renewable energy online quickly.
U.S. Utilities, Regulator Disagree on Generation
The nation’s top power industry regulator on Tuesday suggested that U.S. utilities don’t need to build big nuclear or coal-fired power plants to fill the nation’s future power supply needs.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Solar Good Long-Term Investment Bet
Solar, like much of the cleantech industry, should prove a profitable bet for investors over the next decade as demand grows and costs fall.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
PV in 2009: Winners, Strugglers, and Losers
Once you see where demand and supply intersect, it actually becomes possible to identify winners and losers, based on their proximity (or lack thereof) to the clearing price.
New Poll Shows Nationwide, Bipartisan Support for Renewable Electricity Standard
Results to Be Unveiled at Blockbuster WINDPOWER 2009 Conference & Exhibition as Assembled Industry Calls for Action.
TECHNOLOGY
SunDrum: A Turbocharger for Solar Systems
SunDrum combines solar PV and solar thermal with a technology that comes from PCs. Could it make all-in-one solar cheaper?
Unirac Introduces CLICKSYS for Residential PV
Unirac a new click-system mounting solution designed to offer value and installation ease for the flush-roof residential PV market.
Vela Solaris Launches in United States with Polysun Family of Products
World’s Most Versatile Renewable Energy Simulation Software Now Optimized for North America .
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China Solar Set to be 5 Times 2020 Target
Stimulus package for renewable energy expected soon. Renewable energy 2020 goal will more than double 2007 plan. Solar subsidies attractive but not immediately feasible.
